The phenomenon of corporations buying their way onto the California election ballot is fast reaching epidemic proportions. If the multimillion-dollar initiative campaigns by Mercury Insurance and Pacific Gas & Electric weren't enough -- the first on behalf of an initiative to gut the state's insurance consumer-protection law, the second to immunize private utilities from public competition -- here comes Venoco Inc. The Denver-based independent oil company wants to give itself unique exemptions from local health, safety and environmental regulations in its California home away from home, Carpinteria.